Sleeping Together
by fandom.central.12
Summary: Oneshots of Romione throughout the years having to do with sleep. Rated T because I'm paranoid. (NOTHING WORSE THAN KISSING, TITLE IS A PUN)
1. First Year

**FIRST YEAR**

As the Hogwarts Express rolled on, The Golden Trio sat alone in an empty compartment. Harry was steadily making his way through the pile of chocolate frogs, hoping for Godric Gryffindor. Hermione was reading a 'pleasure' book with as many pages as portraits in Hogwarts. Ron, of course, was asleep. He lent against the window, wrappers littered around him. The candy-lady made enough from that one carriage to buy another cart! The only exception was Herrmione - "Sugary foods are bad for your teeth! I have dentists for parents, _I _would know! But, a sugar-free lolly wouldn't hurt, right?" She only realized later how much the boys were rubbing off on her.

The only problem with the scene was the rather obnoxious sound coming out of Ron's mouth. _Though almost everything that came out was obnoxious, asleep or not, _Hermione thought. She turned the page only to be interrupted.

"ZZzzzZZzz-gheyx-zzZZzzZzZzZ-pujybal-zzZZZzzZzZ" Ron murmured, only to continue to let out long, steady snores.

Hermione glanced up at Harry, who didn't seem to be fazed. He opened another frog to find another Merlin. He let out a sigh as the frog ran out of the carriage.

"Does he do this often?" Hermione asked, gesturing to Ron. Harry nodded.

"All the time." he said, taking a sip of pumpkin juice. "Sometimes he says things, so we perfected a Silencing Charm around his bed. If only we could Silence him!"

Hermione opened her mouth to say how they _certainly_ could not and how if they did he could be severely injured when Harry broke into a grin. Hermione laughed softly.

"If only." she said. He stood up, moving towards the door.

"I'm just taking a trip to the loo. Make sure Ron doesn't wake himself up." he said, and with a wink he was gone. Hermione looked once more up at Ron and then returned to her book. She found his snores quite relaxing and found she was almost breathing in sync with him.

"ZzzZzzZZz...gerrofer!...zzZZzZzzZ...erminey!" Ron said in his sleep. Hermione didn't think anything of it, until she heard what he said next.

"Mafoy...gerroff Ermynee!" Hermione looked up because she thought he was awake. But no, he still shifted restlessly.

"Arrie!...ZzZ...Ermynee!" She looked up sharply. He was dreaming about Harry...and her. Her cheeks were tinted pink at the thought, and hoped he would wake up before he said something even more embarrassing.

Harry returned, holding another Chocolate Frog. "Okay, maybe I didn't go to the toilet..." he said sheepishly, as Hermione chuckled. She tried to finish her page, but was interrupted. Again.

"YES!" Harry whooped, holding a Gryffindor card. Ron sat up with a start, rubbing his eyes.

"Wassit?" he said. Hermione looked down at her book. Harry smiled.

"Sorry mate, go back to sleep." _Please don't, please don't, _Hermione thought.

"Nah, I think I'm good for the journey."

Hermione smiled, put away her book and talked to them the rest of the way, the awkward whispering forgotten.


	2. Second Year

**SECOND YEAR**

Ron sat beside Hermione in the Hospital Wing. She lay in the bed, sleeping peacefully. He smiled, glad she was okay now. The Mandrake potion had been distributed only yesterday so the victims were still resting, but they allowed visitors. Harry and himself spent all their lunch chatting to Hermione, who was amazed with what had happened down there. She was glad they found her note, and was pleased that Ginny was okay and the diary was defeated. But the thing that made her the happiest was when the boys told her they'd been taking notes for her. That earned them both a big hug.

Ron looked at the table beside her. Fred and George were able to get him some sweets for Hermione from Honeydukes - sugar free of course - but not without plenty of teasing.

_"So romantic!" "When's the wedding?" "Wonniekins got a crush!" _

Ron had only shrugged them off, but even he had to admit she was pretty. Behind all that frizzy hair and that know-it-all attitude, she was really sweet. She seemed to appreciate the sweets as well, but the presence of her book Pavarti sneaked out of her room was a cherry on the top. She was well-tailoured to.

Ron had just been visiting Ginny, but she's too busy talking to Harry. Even though it was funny at first to see her stutter and blush, he eventually felt like a third wheel and left. And now here he was, full after a delicious dinner, humming to himself quietly as Hermione slept. She shifted as her hand moved from the pillow to the edge, right where his hand lay. His ears grew red and moved her hand back to where it was as she shifted again. He stood in fear of her waking up to find him...holding her hand. He quickly let go and stood up. He felt bad leaving her, so he went to get Harry.

"Harry?" he said, moving aside the curtain to see Harry and Ginny talking animatedly. "Um, I need to go, could you stay with Hermione? I think she's waking up."

"Uh, sure. That's fine. Bye, Ginny." He said, touching her arm before leaving. Her face flamed red as he left. Ron smirked at her. "Are you hot? You look a bit flushed."

"Oh shut it. Your ears are looking as red as our hair...who knew Hermione had that effect on you?" she countered, grinning as Ron's face went red. He spluttered, trying to come with a reply. He turned on his heel and quickly left, trying desperately to try and stop his blush.

**And that's why Ron didn't hug Hermione in the Great Hall ;)**


	3. Third Year

**THIRD YEAR******

Harry, Ron and Hermione sat in the common room, studying. The two boys had Divination charts in front of them, while Hermione was writing on a roll of parchment with an Ancient Runes textbook nearby. Ron sneezed and his foot moved slightly, knocking over the ink onto her parchment. She looked up at him angry, but he grabbed his wand and with a flick, cleaned up the ink. She smiled, impressed, and continued writing. He smiled happily, even though he wasn't sure why he was so desperate to impress her.

They both looked up when they heard a book fall from Harry's hands. They were greeted with the messy-haired boy fast asleep. Ron chuckled, looking around to see they were the only ones around. What time was it? His question was answered as the tower chimed 10 softly. He looked over at Hermione, who still had half a roll left. He glanced at Harry's page, which was still unfinished.

"While you finish up, I'll do Harry's homework. Merlin knows he needs the rest." he said, grabbing the sheets.

"Ron, doing homework? Willingly? Someone, call Rita Skeeter!" Hermione joked, whispering. Ron cracked a grin, looking at Harry's scrawl in confusion. He filled in the answers, trying to copy his handwriting. He sneaked a glance at Hermione, who was rummaging in her bag for a sheet. He wondered why she was doing so many subjects, and how it was even possible. He hoped she wasn't running herself too thin. He realized he was sorta staring at her, so he returned to his work. He had no idea that she had been sneaking glances since they started studying. She wrote the last line, letting it dry before rolling it up.

"I'm done," she said quietly. "Are you?"

"Yeah, we should head up."

"Should you wake him or should I?"

"Nah, you head up. I'll handle him."

"Good night, Ron." Hermione said, gathering up her stuff. She leaned towards him and pecked him on the cheek. She walked away, hoping the other girls were asleep as to not see her blush.

Ron's ears were positively crimson, and his grin spread from ear to ear. He woke up Harry, and fell asleep with a smile on his face.


	4. Summer Before Fourth Year

**This is a bit of a longer chapter, but I'm hoping to try and keep them around the same size. Thanks for all the reviews, it means a lot as a new author!**

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><p><strong><span>SUMMER BEFORE FOURTH YEAR<span>**

Hermione looked around in wonder at the large tent. On the inside, that is. It reminded her of a TV show her father used to watch on the television, before all of...this. She followed Ginny to their side of the tent, placing her bag on the lowest bunk. They shut the curtain and got changed from their muddy traveling clothes to their wear for the night, which for Hermione consisted of a big T-shirt and lounge pants. She sat on the couch as Ron and Ginny played Wizard Chess. The twins, Harry and herself played a few games of exploding snap, but she soon grew tired of the game and sat, instead, reading her book whilst halfheartedly adding to conversation.

The twins and Harry were discussing the match tomorrow and the other siblings chatted alongside giving commands. She looked out the window at the fireworks. "Woah!" she said, watching as they moved.

"Sometimes I forget you've never seen stuff like enchanted fireworks because who seem to know more about everything else!" Ginny joked. Hermione smirked and opened her mouth for a comeback when the twins interrupted.

"Nah, I'm sure there's quite a few things Hermione doesn't know." Fred said, wiggling his eyebrows. Hermione rolled her eyes but blushed anyway. She looked down at her book, hoping they wouldn't elaborate.

"You're absolutely right, Freddie! I bet she doesn't know about the camera in th-"

"That's quite enough, George!" Fred said, covering his brother's mouth with his hand. "Another tale for another time." he said, giving Hermione a wink.

Hermione reminded herself to look out for cameras in the Girls' rooms. Ginny was laughing and Hermione stuck her tongue out at her from behind her book. The twins high-fived, and excused themselves to go and plot another Merlin-forsaken prank surely. Ginny and Ron finished their game with Ron whooping triumphantly. Harry and Ron began to play as Ginny talked to them more about Quidditch. Hermione yawned and looked out at the fireworks.

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><p>Ron smiled and was about to whoop for a second time that night when Ginny silenced him with a "Shhh!" She pointed over to Hermione who had fallen asleep on the couch. Ginny smiled as if asking 'Should we prank her?' Ron of course shook his head, Hermione would just get mad and she was scary when she was mad. They had just made up over the whole Crookshanks thing and he didn't want for their relationship to get worse. If anything they wanted to improve it, but that wasn't really important right now.<p>

Ginny challenged Ron to a rematch after Harry bid them goodnight. Their game passed quickly, until Ginny beat Ron for the first time. She could't stop smirking, and she soon realized Ron was a really sore loser. Like, _really _sore. But he forgave her after she commented on how he was totally right about what was going to happen tomorrow. He nodded and looked over at Hermione.

"She's really pretty when she sleeps, isn't she?" Ginny said, baiting him.

"Yeah." he said, almost dreamily. He immediately realized what he had said when Ginny started to snort with laughter. His ears turned red and he grimaced.

"No fair! You totally tricked me!" he whispered.

"I did not, you're just mad because you looooooove Hermione!" she teased quietly, giggling.

Ron suddenly had an idea. "Well if that's true, maybe I'll just go and get Harry then?" he shot back, smirking as she blushed.

"I don't like him!" she said indignantly, turning away.

"Yeah, and we aren't gingers." he said. They looked out at the fireworks a bit more, when Ginny said to Ron:

"I'm going to bed, could you bring Hermione?" she said.

"What?"

"Bring Hermione. It's not even two metres, or are you not strong enough?" she said, baiting him again.

"I am too! And I'll prove it!" He said, putting one hand under Hermione's neck and one under her knees. He lifted her up and started moving towards the girl's section.

"Awh. Bridal style." Ginny teased, bringing her book.

Ron blushed and muttered "Shut up." under his breath. He placed her down on the bed, moving the covers around her. He was just about to straighten up, when Ginny pushed him causing him to fall onto Hermione. His face was at her chest and he blushed, trying to move before she-

"**RONALD WEASLEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"** Hermione said, causing him to straighten up.

"It's not - I - I didn't - Ginny" he stammered, looking around to find Ginny no where to be found. That little...

"W-what are you doing in here anyway?" Hermione questioned, and he noticed her face was just a red as his which made him feel a little better.

"I was carrying you in from in there." he pointed out to the couches. "You fell asleep and Ginny convinced me to carry you in. And then...I tripped." he said, not wanting to tell of Ginny's involvement. If Hermione asked her and she told Hermione he wouldn't know what to do.

"I-well, thank you Ron." she said.

"N-no problem, 'Mione." he said. "I'm just gonna..." He started to turn.

"I'll see you in the morning. Good night Ron." Hermione said. She was going to _murder _Ginny. Convincing him to carry her in here...if Ron ever found out what she had confided in his sister, she would be so embarrassed. It goes without saying that the following morning, Harry got bumped into by Ginny an awful lot.


	5. Fifth Year

**Thanks for all the reviews! BTW I'm open to suggestions for fics ;)**

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><p><strong><span>FIFTH <span>****YEAR **

"Ron...Ron...RON!" Hermione's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"What!?" he said, snapping at her. He instantly regretted it as her face hardened.

"If you would stop staring at the Ravenclaw girls, I'm trying to tutor you, remember?" she retorted, and he glanced over at the gaggle of girls who she thought he was staring at. He had just zoned out thinking about Quidditch.

"I wasn't staring!" he protested, opening his textbook.

"Yes, I'm sure you would prefer the term oggling." she said, rolling her eyes. He opened his mouth to protest again, but she interrupted. "I don't want to hear it, now what do you want to start on?" she said.

"Start on?! I woke up early today and it's nearly 9, I want to go to bed! Just History of Magic tonight." he argued. "No comprimmizing!" Hermione laughed softly at his error.

"No compromising? Ok, just History of Magic." Hermione said, reading from the page. She added in little bits of information, but Ron wasn't really listening. He just nodded when he deemed appropriate, and hoped she didn't ask a question. He looked around the library, taking in all old books. They sat in a corner booth near the back, one Hermione seemed to use often because the seat smelled of her.

_Wait, since when did I know how she smells?! _Ron thought to himself as she rattled on about Goblin Wars. _Since you've been in love with her, you prat, _the more annoying yet sensible side of him said. Hey, annoying and sensible, that's like Hermione. _Always back to Hermione!_

He sighed and put his head in his hands. Hermione stopped talking and looked at him.

"Am I going too fast?" Hermione asked. "I can go slower if you want."

"No, it's just I...have a headache." _More like heartache, _the sensible and REALLY ANNOYING part of him said.

"Okay, that's fine. We should do this tomorrow, sooner rather than later right?" she said, smiling. His heart sped up at the sight of her smile, which made her cheeks dimple and her eyes sparkle and the way her hair reflected the moonlight just made he-

"You look pretty warm there, Ron." she said, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead, leaning in close. "Yeah, you're burning up. Maybe you should see Madame Pomfrey." Ron shook his head, too embarrassed to speak. _Nice going, lying to her about a headache and blushing so much she thinks you have a fever. Real smooth. _At this point he wanted to kill that part of him.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want you getting sick. Especially because of the whole..." she looked over at the Ravenclaws before leaning in to whisper. "DA going on. We need you there." she said, smirking. "Even though I totally beat you."

Ron shook his head. "You did not!"

Hermione giggled, but stopped when the librarian shushed them. "Regardless of whether or not I beat you, I still need you." she said, then realizing her mistake. "I don't want to do Prefect patrol on my own!" she joked, trying to hide her blush.

Ron's hope soared when she said that, he didn't even mind what it was for: she needed him. And whether or not he wanted it, he needed her.

Hermione gave him one more look before pulling back. "I dunno...are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'll be fine. I just need to sleep on it. I'll be fine tomorrow." he promised.

"Okay." Hermione said, gathering her books. "I need to check something out before I go up, and I want you asleep by the time I get there." she said.

"Will you be checking?" Ron teased, and Hermione slapped him playfully on the arm.

"Goodnight, Ron." she said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before leaving, heading over to the DADA section.

"G-goodnight!" he called after her, after regaining his powers of speech. The librarian shushed him again as she passed by. He looked over at her to find all the Ravenclaw girls giggling and staring at him. He blushed, knowing that they saw and possibly heard the exchange between the two. He gave them a little wave before quickly exiting, nearly tripping which caused another wave of laughter and blushing. He headed up to his dorm bright red, head down and a big grin on his face.

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><p><strong>This one barely counts as sleep-related, but it was close enough (hopefully!)<strong>


	6. Sixth Year

**Thanks again for all the reviews! Again, very sorry for the huge delay. School got in the way, but I'mma finish this off! **

**JK Rowling owns all Harry Potter and unfortunately, I am not her.**

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><p>"She's driving me mental, I swear." Ron said to Harry, shouldering his bag as they walked into the deserted common room.<p>

"Which one is 'she' again?" Harry asked with a grin. He had an easy smile on his face, his Prince book clutched in his hand.

"I dunno at this point! I mean, Hermione isn't talking to me for no reason whatsoever, and Lavender is just insane!" he said. He knew why Hermione wasn't talking to him, but as a Weasley he wasn't going to give up so easily. He wasn't sure what he felt about her truthfully. Whatever it was, it was very strong. He couldn't get her out of his mind, and it was driving him up the wall not being able to speak. He just hoped that she would eventually find it in her heart to forgive him. But honestly, why did Lavender think it was a good idea to call him 'Won-Won?' Merlin knows.

"Well, here's a crazy idea - apologize to Hermione and dump Lavender!" Harry said sarcastically. Ron could tell he was getting pretty mad at both of his best friends being so petty. _Says the bloke intent on following Malfoy everywhere! _Ron thought, but kept it to himself. The poor bloke had enough going on without Ron picking at him.

"It's not that easy though - I don't even know where to start with either of them!" he protested, but Harry was already gone up to bed. Oh well, hopefully Harry will have calmed down by breakfast seeing as it was Ron's birthday tomorrow.

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><p>The small group huddled around the hospital bed, nervously chattering over the body of Ron. Hermione sat by the bed, barely listening to the conversation, watching Ron's chest rise and fall. He stirred slightly but did not wake as Harry explained again what had happened. Ron stirred once more, and opened his mouth.<p>

"Hemmimargffzzz..." he mumbled incoherently, and everyone went on ignoring him. Dumbledore and Slughorn were discussing the actions of Harry, but all Hermione kept thinking was what if he had died, and the last thing she said to him was rude? She would never forgive herself. Soon enough Lavender ran in, eyes wide and face pale.

"Where is he? Where is my Won-Won?" Lavender said, stopping at the foot of the bed. She glanced at Hermione, her look scathing. "What's _she _doing here?"

"I might ask you the same question!" Hermione retorted quickly, standing to her feet indignantly.

"I happen to be his _girlfriend._" she said, knowing how that would sting Hermione.

"And I happen to be his..._friend._" she forced out in a whisper, angry at Lavender for getting under her skin and angry at herself for how easily she let this happen.

"Don't make me laugh! You haven't spoken in weeks!" Lavender accused, gesturing at Ron. "But I suppose you want to make up with him now that's he's suddenly all interesting!"

"He's been poisoned, you _daft dimbo!_" Hermione said in outrage. She found herself unable to stop there. "And for the record, I've always found his interesting."

Ron murmured in his sleep, and Lavender got the wrong idea. "Ah. See. He senses my presence. Don't worry Won-Won, I'm here." she said desperately, leaning much to close to his face. Hermione's stomach twisted uncomfortably, and she watched as he stirred again. "I'm here."

"Hermaam...Hermine..." he mumbled, and talking seemed to stop as he spoke once more, eyes still shut. "Hermione..."

Yes, this one was very clear. You could tell for a number of reasons - the present professors looked incredibly uncomfortable, Ginny and Harry shared a knowing look, and a flush started to creep up Hermione's neck. But Lavender - Lavender's face took on an expression of shock and outrage as she glanced at Hermione and gasped. She then ran off, as Hermione took her seat and Ron's hand in hers.

As Dumbledore made some stupid comment about 'young love', the professors soon filtered out. She saw Ginny make a comment to Harry as she passed, and Hermione glanced back at her other best friend. He had a wide Cheshire grin on his face, almost as though he had been expecting it. He probably was expecting it - hell, he probably bet on it as well. She was pretty embarrassed, but also immensely happy. "Oh, shut up." she said.

It only made him smile more but he left them alone, and for the while Hermione was just content to hold Ron's hand as he slept.

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><p><strong>I based the dialogue on the scene in the movie, as it was much too long ago I read this book for me to remember what it went like in the text! xD Don't forget to R+R! :D<strong>


	7. Grimmauld Place

**Thanks again for all the reviews guys! There will be an epilogue to this, but this is the last canon era oneshot!**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling is not me.**

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><p>The dusty living room of 12 Grimmauld Place had been set up as a sleeping area for the two wizards and the witch. The couch had a comforter thrown on it with a pillow, and on the floor two identical sleeping bags were set down. They each had one pillow as well, but it was obvious which option would be the most comfortable.<p>

Without really much thought, Hermione placed her bag down on the sleeping bag and rummaged inside it for pajamas. Ron entered the room, and looked at Harry who seemed not to have noticed what she was up to. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Hermione looked up at him, ignoring how her heart ached as she saw the one person she wanted, and the one person she could not have. "I'm looking for my sleep wear." she informed him.

"But why are you on the floor?" he asked, like it was obvious she was doing something wrong.

"Ronald, what are you on about? Spit it out!" she said irritably, having no idea what he was on about.

"Well, you're sleeping on the couch!" he argued, and Harry turned towards them away from pictures of Sirius. He seemed only mildly interested in what was going on. He was like the a lot - he seemed more pensive and less attentive to his two friends.

"No, I'm sleeping here. I was going to let either you or Harry sleep on the couch." she explained, not sure why he was making a big deal out of it. Was he trying to pick a fight? And she saw Harry as well look very confused.

"No you won't!" he retorted. "You're a girl - _you're_ sleeping on that couch, whether you like it or not." he said. Hermione rolled her eyes - this was barmy!

"How sexist is that? Honestly, I am not a damsel in distress." she argued back, almost offended. But she saw Harry look at Ron and almost nod, as if he agreed with him. _Great, _she thought.

"Hermione, you're the only one small enough to fit on it." Harry pointed out, and Hermione realized he was right. If either Ron or Harry slept on it, their feet would stick out the end. She huffed, but moved her bag.

"When did you become so chivalrous anyway?" Hermione asked Ron skeptically, and was surprised as his ears and face began to flush.

"It's just polite." he said meekly, and went off to get changed. Hermione sensed Harry smirking at her, but when she turned around he was sombre, not amused at all. Normally he would have joked about the two of them - but now Hermione saw how much Dumbledore's death affected him.

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><p>Later that night, Ron lay in his sleeping bag near to the couch Hermione slept on now. If he looked up at her, he could see her peaceful face as she slept. She shifted in her sleep, and Ron thought for a moment that she would fall off the couch. But no, instead her arm draped down off the sofa and found his hand. He stayed still, frozen as Hermione's hand slowly enclosed his own. He looked up again to make sure she was still sleeping, and looked back down at her hand.<p>

He knew the last few months had been hard on her - it had been hard on everyone else as well. He remembered back to Dumbledore's funeral, comforting her and she wept the death of the headmaster. He felt a sense of responsibility but also one of protectiveness - he never wanted to see her cry ever again. So as he watched her sleep peacefully, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze as he shut his eyes.

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><p>Hermione woke with a jolt, shooting out of a nightmare back into reality. She checked her surroundings - she was in Grimmauld Place, there was Ron holding her hand, she watched the rise and fall of Harry's chest as he sn-wait, what?<p>

She backtracked until she realized that Ron was holding her hand next to his chest as he slept. She could feel his heartbeat, and the soft and steady beating calmed her down from her nightmare. She wondered briefly if she grabbed his hand or if he grabbed hers, but she really didn't care. His hands were so big in hers, and so clunky as well. Hers were the hands of a pianists, thin and long and delicate. He had the hands of a Keeper - strong, wide and surprisingly soft. They fit well together for some reason, and Hermione couldn't help but be reminded of their personalities - so different, and yet well-suited to each other's.

As her eyelids grew heavier, the thrum of Ron's heart matched her own as she slipped into unconsciousness.

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><p><em>"<em>_Ron had had a fit of gallantry and insisted that Hermione sleep on the cushions from the sofa, so that her silhouette was raised above his. Her arm curved to the floor, her fingers inches from Ron's. Harry wondered whether they had fallen asleep holding hands."_

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><p><strong>Remember to R+R!<strong>


	8. Post-Battle: Epilogue

**Thank you all for the reviews! This is the final chapter, hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Rights go to JK Rowling**

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><p>It was all over. Voldemort was gone, once and for all. Hogwarts was utterly destroyed - both the building and the students. The Great Hall was filled with bodies lined up side by side - Remus, Tonks, Colin, Lavender, Snape, Fred. Ron's heart squeezed once more to think of his older brother, lying still there. Just the thought of Fred and George separated was enough to put tears in his eyes. They were never apart - it was almost like they were one, FredandGeorge. Now they really were just one.<p>

Hermione must have sensed something was wrong as she gave his hand a squeeze, looking at him with concern. She was on the verge of asking if he was okay, but she knew the answer already. No one was okay. He wasn't okay. She wasn't okay. Harry wasn't okay. She didn't think any of them would be okay for a very long time.

"I thought I was gonna lose you, 'Mione." Ron blurted out in a hushed whisper, not looking at her. They sat side-by-side against the wall in one of the less destroyed corridors. Blankets, pillows and cushions had been distributed as everyone grew weary. Ron, Harry and Hermione had found each other among the crowd and went off. Ron couldn't handle being with his family right now. Maybe it was selfish of him, maybe it was cowardly, but he just couldn't.

Harry understood. Hermione understood. They always did.

"Me too." she answered back, glancing at the raven haired boy sleeping restlessly across from them. "When...Hagrid came back with Harry's body, I-" she choked off, giving Ron's hand another squeeze. He wrapped his arm around her and let her cry quietly into his shoulder. Everything in the past few days ha been so draining, physically and emotionally, that he was glad that he still had his friends.

"We have each other, at least." he said quietly, and she pulled back to look him in the eye. Her expression was a mix of vulnerability and nervousness, and he instantly knew what she was thinking. He gave her a small smile and in the darkness of the hallway they kissed for the second time. She pulled back to wipe at her rapidly watering eyes with an embarrassed smile as he tightened his hold on her. She couldn't help to get emotional after all the things they had been through together. She shifted so she could rest her head on his chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart.

"Yeah." she said, sparing another glance at Harry's resting form before closing her own eyes. "Yeah, we do." Ron rested his head on hers and they fell asleep in each other's arms.

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><p><strong>Don't forget to R+R!<strong>


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